Ex-refs chief drops Marc Guehi ‘red card’ verdict after analysing latest Liverpool footage
Man City beat Liverpool 2-1 at Anfield on Sunday, in what will undoubtedly go down as a Premier League classic.
After a closely-contested first half, the Reds went ahead through Dominik Szoboszlai‘s stunning free kick.
Liverpool threatened to build on their lead, but it would be Bernardo Silva to strike next, when he got on the end of Erling Haaland‘s knock-down to equalise.
When Alisson came out and clattered into Matheus Nunes in stoppage time, Haaland stepped up to the spot and put Man City in front.
Pep Guardiola‘s side looked to have netted a third in the final seconds after Alisson had been caught out of goal, but bizarre scenes saw the referee overturn the goal for a foul, instead issuing Szoboszlai with a red card.
Keith Hackett reacts to key Marc Guehi moment
Liverpool will feel that the events of the final 20 minutes could have played out very differently, had referee Craig Pawson judged a earlier incident differently.
The home side had been pushing forward, and Szoboszlai looked to play Mohamed Salah through on goal.
| Liverpool | Match stats | Man City |
| 46% | Possession | 54% |
| 15 | Shots | 17 |
| 4 | Shots on target | 7 |
| 1.21 | Expected goals (xG) | 2.91 |
| 5 | Corners | 4 |
Marc Guehi reached for the shirt of the Egyptian, however, and pulled him down just outside of the box.
Pawson gave a free kick and produced a yellow card, much to the anger of the Liverpool fans and players.
VAR John Brooks confirmed the decision, with the feeling being that Ruben Dias had been in a position to be the covering defender.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, ex-PGMOL chief Keith Hackett agreed with that view, and said: “Yellow card the correct decision.
“Does not fulfil denial of an obvious goal scoring opportunity due to the position of the covering defender.”
Man City mark key title race moment
Lose on Sunday, and Man City would have been nine points behind the Premier League leaders, Arsenal.
Many would have felt that was an insurmountable gap, but by coming from behind to win, Guardiola’s side have given themselves a massive boost.
Arsenal still need to travel to the Etihad Stadium – a match that Man City will identify as a massive chance for a three-point swing.
With tough games approaching for both teams over the coming weeks, the title race remains open and alive.